Steelers vs. Ravens 2013, Week 13: Baltimore holds on to win a wild one

Tomlin appeared to be watching the play on the jumbotron with his back to Jones, stepping out of the way just before contact was made.

La Canfora reports that the league is undertaking an “aggressive review” of the play, especially considering the game had such serious playoff implications and that the play came at such a crucial point in the game. The Steelers are facing financial penalties, as well as the potential loss of a draft pick, depending on the results of the NFL’s investigation.

If the two made contact there’s a chance field officials could have ruled it a touchdown due to Tomlin’s interference but ultimately no penalty was called on the play. It’s unclear whether the coach intentionally tried to interfere with Jones, but it seems improbable he was unaware of his position -- especially in light of him staring at the stadium’s screen.

It’s unclear what kind of penalty Tomlin or the Steelers could sustain if the league determines he altered the play intentionally. The outcome of the game wasn’t impacted by the return, but there could be larger repercussions if an already close AFC playoff race is determines for points for and against.

In his postgame interview Jones said the play didn’t matter because the Ravens got the win, but was quick to mention he hasn’t been caught from behind in the past. There are a lot of reasons for the team to look past Tomlin’s foot and enjoy the victory, but Baltimore Beatdown believes the controversial play will live in infamy.

No love is lost on either side, and it will be fascinating when these teams meet in 2014. It’s just a shame the layover is that long.

After halftime, the Ravens got the ball back and proceeded to orchestrate a dominant drive that took nearly six minutes off the clock and led to a 34-yard field goal by Tucker, his 24th-straight made attempt. The Baltimore lead was extended to 13-0 with nine minutes left in the third quarter.

The Ravens added another field goal at the start of the fourth quarter after another stalled drive by the Steelers. The 45-yard field goal was Tucker’s 26th-straight made attempt. The Ravens led 19-7 with just over 14 minutes left in the game.

The Ravens beat Steelers, 22-20.

• NFL Week 13 expert picks | 3 teams can clinch playoff spot

Le’Veon Bell scored a touchdown to make Thanksgiving football between the Steelers and Ravens moderately interesting. The score’s not interesting, because we started being tryptophanny hours ago. What is interesting is his decision to celebrate via THE CARLTON DANCE

We assumed everybody on the internet knows what The Carlton Dance is, but, um, we were wrong, so, here’s a further explanation:

Jacoby Jones answered a touchdown by Emmanuel Sanders with a huge 73-yard kickoff return. He busted through a huge hole, and all of a sudden there was nobody between him and the end zone besides... Mike Tomlin?

That’s Tomlin, apparently watching the play unfold on the Jumbotron -- hey, I wouldn’t want to look directly at the Steelers playing football either, but I’m not their coach -- but the whole scenario seems a little bit strange.

A botched fake field attempt by the Steelers put the Ravens in great field position, following a somewhat crafty drive by quarterback Ben Roethlisberger that included one of slowest first-down runs in the history of the NFL:

The great field positioning allowed the Ravens to get a 43-yard field goal out of Justin Tucker. The kick brought the Baltimore lead to 10-0 late in the second quarter.

Pitta dislocated his hip over the summer and hasn’t played a game in 2013. While he won’t play on Thanksgiving, Pitta is expected to make his season debut in Week 14.

• NFL Week 13 expert picks | 3 teams can clinch playoff spot

Game Date/Time and Location: Thursday, Nov. 28, 8:30 p.m. ET at M&T Bank Field, Baltimore, Md.

TV schedule and distribution map: NBC; The506.com

The Ravens defense is currently ranked 10th in the NFL giving up 329 yards per game, and ranks seventh allowing just 19.5 points per game. Both numbers are improvements on the 350.9 YPG and 21.5 PPG they averaged last season.

On defense, the Steelers rank 13th in the league, giving up 343.2 yards per game. Allowing 23.3 points per game, they have been frequently outscored in games due to a shaky offense. Pittsburgh ranks 27th in the league in sacks.

The over/under for Thursday night’s game is 40.5. These two teams have reputations for being defensive-oriented squads, but it’s their offenses that have shown up this season. The Steelers are giving up 23.3 points per game, while the Ravens are a bit better at 19.5 points. However, Pittsburgh is averaging 22.5 points on offense in comparison to the Ravens’ lowly 20.6 average.

The Ravens are 10-5 in their last 15 games against the spread but have lost two straight to the Steelers. Baltimore will host Pittsburgh at 8:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

The Ravens are currently listed as 2½-point favorites at home, though the line has moved in Pittsburgh’s direction since opening at three. If this contest is anything like the last time these two teams met -- a 19-16 Steelers win in Week 7 -- it should be a tight and unpredictable game.

The overall trends seem to support the Ravens, who are 4-1 at home this season and have gone 6-1 against the spread (ATS) in their last seven games. Their actual record may be below .500, but they’ve have gone 6-5 ATS in 2013. The Steelers, meanwhile, have gone 5-13 ATS in their last 18 road games and are 2-4 straight-up outside of Pittsburgh this season. That being said, they’re 4-1 ATS in their last five trips to Baltimore.

Just when bettors had buried the Pittsburgh Steelers as a credible team to back in 2013, they won five of seven to regain relevance and creep back into the playoff picture.

But to continue that momentum, they need to beat a tough divisional rival in a role where that rival almost never loses.

The Steelers took down the Ravens when the teams met earlier this season, besting them 19-16 in Week 7.

That said, only two of SB Nation’s six NFL experts think the Steelers will win this one on the road. Ryan Van Bibber, Jason Chilton, David Fucillo and Matt Ufford all picked the Ravens to hold at home. Joel Thorman and Stephen White feel the Steelers will win the matchup.